Maria Pearson, 70, who became Britain's longest serving female prisoner, is set for release after a Parole Board panel determined she no longer presents a danger to the public. Pearson fatally stabbed her ex-boyfriend's new partner Janet Newton in 1986 and was sentenced to life imprisonment the following year. She was 31 at the time of the murder.
The Murder
In 1986, Pearson, a mother-of-three, lived in Wordsworth Avenue in the Oxford Road area of Hartlepool. She stalked building society clerk Janet Newton before stabbing her 17 times with a sheath knife on Grange Road. The brutal attack occurred two days after Janet and Pearson's ex-lover Malcolm Pearson became engaged. Pearson was in a bigamous relationship with her second husband at the time, remaining married to her first.
Sentence and IPP
Pearson received an Imprisonment for Public Protection (IPP) sentence on July 24, 1987, with a minimum tariff of 12 years. IPPs were indeterminate sentences with no maximum term, scrapped in 2012 but not retrospectively. Reports indicate 90% of those serving IPP sentences remain in prison after their minimum tariff expiry date.
Failed Release Attempts
Pearson made repeated attempts to win freedom, but all appeals and parole bids previously failed. The Criminal Cases Review Commission rejected an application to refer the conviction to the Court of Appeal. In 2006, then Home Secretary John Reid rejected a Parole Board recommendation for her transfer to open prison, which Pearson called “irrational” and “politically motivated.” The judge noted she was still “in denial” and showed limited sympathy for the victim. A 2004 stint in open prison ended after three months due to allegations of intimidation and bullying.
Further Reviews
In 2008, a High Court bid failed despite Pearson stating, “I’m not a danger to society; indeed I never have been.” A 2020 Parole Board review cited conflicting views on risk management, with some deeming release “over-optimistic and unrealistic.” Reports noted “poor custodial behaviour” and “ongoing and longstanding difficulties” with staff, though two independent psychological assessments favoured open conditions. The panel recommended open conditions but not release.
Ninth Denial
In 2023, parole was denied for the ninth time. An oral hearing on April 13, 2022, and January 17, 2023, found Pearson unfit for release or open prison due to the murder's nature, custodial behaviour, and evidence showing she was “willing to resort to violence.”
Release Decision
On the tenth review, the Parole Board confirmed release. Conditions include living at a designated address, a curfew with electronic tagging for a year, and restrictions to avoid contact with the victim's family. The panel stated: “The panel concluded in a finely balanced decision that Ms Pearson met the test for release. The panel was satisfied that imprisonment was no longer necessary for the protection of the public and that she poses no more than a minimal risk of further serious offending.”
